Volus
A sapient species from the planet Irune. The Vol Protectorate is a client of the Turian Hierarchy. Culture Volus culture is dominated by trade, whether it’s of land, resources, or tribe members. The volus have a reputation as bankers and merchants, and many, such as Barla Von, work as some of the best financial advisers in Citadel space. There were once entire tribes dedicated to the martial craft, raising their sons as soldiers and then trading them to other tribes in exchange for goods and services. Some suspect that this is the reason the volus are on such good terms with the turians, as the basis for their relationship with the Hierarchy was already inherent in their culture. Most of these tribes have long since been reabsorbed and their names erased; the volus are among the least war-like races in the galaxy. Some militant clans still exist, but they’re small and dwindling, and only exist because they refuse to trade themselves into the greater tribes, no matter the offers of wealth. Most of the works by the author Polan are about such tribes, and the conflicting feelings the volus have about them. The stories typically involve brothers trading themselves off to two different tribes who then go to war with each other. Most of these are rather melodramatic. A major volus religion involves the Book of Plenix. Written during Irune’s pre-industrial era, the original copy currently resides at the volus embassy on the Citadel, having been salvaged by Commander Shepard from a war torn Irune during the world’s Reaper occupation. Plans for transferring the book back to its homeworld are ongoing. A common misconception among non-volus is that “Plenix” refers to a particular god or prophet; this isn’t the case. While some clans do worship certain deities, The Book of Plenix makes no reference to any of them, other than to acknowledge that such practices exist. “Plenix” instead refers to what can best be described as the “currency of the universe”, a similar concept to “Karma”. Followers of Plenix believe that one’s soul is part of a great, spiritual economy that uses Plenix as its main currency. One earns Plenix by performing good deeds, as defined by The Book of Plenix, and spends Plenix when he or she encounters good fortune or performs a bad deed. The soul will continue to exist within the spiritual economy after death, so it’s encouraged that one save as much Plenix as possible during their lifetime, it being easier for a living soul to earn Plenix than a dead one. See: Volanti. Volus Home System: Aru Jak Ser: This planet features heavily in ancient volus mythology and folklore, since its bright white surface made it easy to chart in the night sky, without the aid of a telescope. Once the volus developed advanced astronomical equipment, their scientists discovered that Jak Ser’s luminosity was caused by a thick carbon monoxide cloud cover that had hidden the real face of the planet for millennia. Locil: The first of the Aru system’s three gas giants, Locil is also the largest. Boasting over 96 moons, the planet’s orbit bustled with hundreds of helium-3 extraction centres. Most of the work population lived on Locil’s orbital stations, which were so numerous they became an unofficial city, chained together by taxi services and extendable umbilical cords. Notable Volus Darik Zol Mor Ortlo Post-Reaper War Retrospective Category:Species